Karim Benzema distinctly protected withinside the squad listing French National Team for the 2020 European Cup. It turns out that there is a secret behind this decision.
Benzema has been absent from the French national team since 2015. Didier Deschamps as coach froze him after being accused of being involved in a sex video extortion scandal that befell compatriot Mathieu Valbuena.
Until now, Benzema has not been proven guilty in this case. But the Real Madrid forward had accused Deschamps of being racist because ignoring him hurt the coach.
Until early May, there was no sign that Deschamps would call up Benzema to compete in the European Cup. Even though the pressure to do so was raised by many parties along with the 33-year-old's good performance with Madrid.
But it only took Deschamps a week to change his mind. It turned out that he had a special conversation with Benzema before calling him.
"We met each other, it was really a quiet moment. We enjoyed discussing, exchanging ideas, and seeing that we talk a lot with each other," Benzema told L'Equipe.
"I've always been on good terms with him and after three minutes everything is back to normal."
Benzema's ambition
Benzema didn't want to just ride through after his comeback to the French national team. The 2020 European Cup trophy is his personal target.
Benzema is indeed curious enough to present a trophy for his country. Moreover, he was only a spectator when the French national team won the 2018 World Cup.
"I want to win trophies with the French team and dream of winning the Euros. With the squad we have, we can win it," he added.
These targets are quite realistic. With the status of world champion, France has indeed become one of the seeds.
But a steep road awaits France to make this happen. They are members of Group F along with Portugal, Germany, and Hungary so that qualifying for the group phase is Les Blues' closest target.